by William Blake
A tax lien can be applied to a home by the federal or state government when a person has not been paying their taxes. The lien can later be used to take possession of the home or property if it seems that the owner is planning on evading taxes.
The owner of the home has to pay all the taxes within a set period of time or else the property in question can be auctioned off publicly by the government.
If you are thinking about purchasing a home that has been made available for sale by means of a government tax foreclosure it is important that you know that you are accepting any and all risks that are associated with the property; the government offers no warranties on properties sold in this way. This can create serious problems. At some times, individuals have purchased properties at auctions without ever actually seeing them and have wound up wanting to get out of the sale. Even though the government could choose to allow the buyer to bail out of the transaction, they will lose their 10% deposit from the auction no matter what.
Additionally, if the property is resold and the final bid is less than that of the original bid, the person backing out can be held responsible for the difference. Buying home through government tax foreclosures can provide a chance to buy houses considerably below their market value, but buyers must be aware of the dangers involved before bidding.
Tax Sales: Not Always Final Immediately
When a home is auctioned due to government tax foreclosures, many states give the original homeowner 10 days from the date of the sale to pay all taxed due and reclaim ownership of the home. When this happen, the bidder is refunded any deposit they made.
Follow-up bids are also permissible at government tax foreclosure auctions in some states. These bids are made after the auction has ended and must be for a price that is at least 10% higher than the original winning bid was.
For those with a federal income tax lien they should be able to avoid government tax foreclosures by making arrangements to pay off the debt. The Internal Revenue Service as well as many state governments offer programs where a compromise offer can be made in order to avoid drastic measures such as government tax foreclosures. However, ignoring the situation usually results in foreclosures without further notice.
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